Alicia Peshel-Schoenbeck
2nd Grade Teacher
Mitchell Elementary School (K–8)
Chicago Public Schools, IL

Alicia has lived in Chicago her whole life and has been teaching at Mitchell Elementary School for 31 years. In fact, it is the same elementary school that she graduated from. Alicia is married and has two girls in college and two dogs. 

She is currently teaching a class of 19 second-graders and has also taught grades 3 and 4. Alicia first found Moshi when she set a goal to work on personal meditation to find inner calm. After reading how beneficial mindfulness is in the classroom, she introduced Moshi for Educators to her students as a way to teach them about mindfulness and help them establish healthy SEL habits.

Alicia got started by building Moshi into the daily schedule. After lunch, she leads the students in SEL-related activities, which always begin with Moshi. Her classroom space is flexible, so kids are able to spread out and either sit or lie down. At the beginning of the school year, she introduces the concepts of mindfulness through 7 Days of Moshi Mindfulness. This series allows students to learn the fundamentals of mindfulness that build SEL skills that transfer to other times of the day. They then move on to the Moshi Moments, which are 4 – 8 minutes in length. The Moshi Moments are calming and teach SEL skills such as kindness, empathy, easing worries, positive affirmations, and other developmental skills.

Alicia has noticed a few things since using Moshi. Most importantly, if she doesn’t get a chance to play a Moshi Moment, the kids will ask for it. They have come to appreciate this time of the day when they can calm their bodies down. Also, she is more calm and relaxed. She takes the time to participate in the Moshi Moment with the kids, often sitting with different students. And Alicia and her students are sharing Moshi with others in the school, too. The principal, Katie Welsh, has joined them for their Moshi time as well as the first-grade teacher who wanted to see it in action, and one day a custodian walked in while the Moshi Moment was on and enjoyed it so much he stayed in the classroom for several minutes to relax and reset. 

Moshi for Educators has given Alicia’s second graders strategies to put in their SEL toolboxes. When needed, they know that deep breathing and positive talk help them reset and get back on track. 

Hear from another teacher who’s benefitted from using Moshi with her students, here.

Allison Henry